if one of these old girls could be tuned up to do say 1.5" groups on factory mill-surplus ammo it could be an interesting back up survival rifle.

what kind of accuracy can these old guns get?

say a fellow wanted to have low $$ iron that shot straight for a couple bills --could it be done?

worth doing or is one better off to just buy a cheap savage in a US/western cal?

Again j4. Ask "White Death" Finnish sniper WWII. 700 confirmed Russian commie kills.. After his 500th, the cheap pricks bought him a scope..
Thought that was rather nice of them.. I do not think he even tuned his up.. He pulled it out of his closet and shot.. How is that for accuracy. He killed every sniper they sent after him... All 5' 3" of him..http://www.metafilter.com/88696/The-White-Death

j4 True

5' 3" tall. Got shot in the face.. Left the hospital and went back to the fight.. Talk about a bad ass?
The top sniper in modern history.. Not just WWII.. This guy was someone you did not want looking for you.. The Russians named him "White Death."
Is a Mosin a good go to weapon.. In 40 degs. Farenheight below zero he shot the weapon.. Look at his sights?
He practically turned back the whole Russian Army, by himself.

If you can examine some instead of mail order roulette, find the nicest bore and matching #s on the receiver & bolt, not forced matched. This is going to be the best way to find a good shooter without modding it
but you could do the above and slug the bore to find out the diameter and buy bullets to match, hand loading and smoothing out the trigger is going to be the cheapest way to make a Mosin a very good shooter.
If someone does more then these things to make it a better shooter, then they bought the wrong rifle to start with

"Government is not the solution to our problem, government is the problem" Ronald Reagan

My tired old eyes aren't all that good with open sights any more , but I generally get an average of max, 1 1/2 "groups at 100 pretty consistently with mine from a bench. But all of mine are pristine UN re-arsineled ones and all matching. That may be the reason they shoot well. I generally buy 4-5 at a time and pick out the best one to keep and sell off the rest. I've never had accuracy issues with any of mine., and the worst I've come a crossed was 2 moa. I only get Mossins that are EX condition and matching numbers though. No forced matched ones for me. I've found they all shoot pretty well and there tough as nails.

I have 3 that have not been through re-arsaneling that you guys have seen me put pics up before,, there dandy's. I finally broke down and shot them all this summer and they all shoot as good as they look. I've got a couple buds at Century that keep me in mind whenever they get pristine or unusual stuff in, and I'm more than glad to pay a premium for something like that, nice to have friends in high places,,,,

They have been real good to me over the years and I've always have had good luck there myself.

i hear Obummer banned "white death" from the internet? what do you do with a guy who gets shot in the face and that just pisses him off anyway?

kind of like the 73 year young Man who got hit square in the noggin with a baseball bat by some young punks..
"Darn fool punks really made me mad." Holy sheeeeeeeeeeet and he is laughing about it.. Must be an old Marine or Swabbie..

"Man needs but two things to survive alone in the woods. A blow up female doll and his trusty old AK-47" - Thomas Jefferson 1781

I can't get the triggers to release with anything short of a come along.

I know I could spend the price of the rifle for a good trigger but...

Ive cut the flat spring down, installed a wire spring, put washers under the spring ( the attachment bolt is a 7mm with .8 threads -- try to find that!), polished the sear: next is put the receiver in a press to reduce the vertical play of the bolt when the trigger is pulled. Somebody tell me what to do

There is no nonsense so errant that it cannot be made the creed of the vast majority by adequate governmental action. -- Bertrand Russell

"Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity."Robert J. Hanlon

Did you also work where the sear contacts, that's about all you didn't happen to mention. There not great, but I've never had one as bad as you describe. It sure sounds like you've covered all the base's otherwise though. Unless there's some other reason,, nothings tweaked where the trigger mounts is there, burrs, bent pin? I can't imagine with everything else you've done that something like that could get overlooked though.

Al this talk of Mossins got me playing with mine today and I realized the only Russian variation I don't have is a laminated hex. Well wouldn't ya know it,,,It just so happens,,,,,just like it was "on Que" ,,,,,a new Century flyer came today and they just so happen to have ex condition ones with all the accessories, for 189 in there!!

Soooo,,,,I Bet you all can't guess what happened?

OK,OK,,,, so I'll put a pic up when gets here,,,,,

When I talked to one of my buds there , he was telling me this last batch of M91/30's they got in ,the ex condition ones especially,, are running "Really Nice" in all the versions. These are some of the better prices I've seen on them lately too. Hell ,I haven't even seen a laminated hex in ex condition for < 200 for quite some time. Or even ,,seen one at all very often at all for that matter. This might be my best last chance to get a good one,, don't know,,we'll see what she looks like when it gets here. I only want the best I can find sense there not a big buck guns anyhow, so why have a crappy one? Right?

Keith ain't steered me wrong yet. He even told me that something else I was asking about, wasn't running to good condition wise and to wait a bit,,so how many other sales folks do that? Not many!

For me Century is THE PLACE to get surplus arms,, IMO. Especially if you know someone there that will give ya the straight poop on stuff. Keith at ext 405 is the guy that will though, BUT,,,that's between you and me guys,,,that's top secret info there!!!! wink wink,, nod ,,nod!!!
It's just another free service I provide for the folks here!! Along with being a "smart ass", of course!!

There handgun shipping has gone up quite a bit though! Doubled to , 34 bucks. long guns still 12.87 shipping for C&R, 7.87 for class 1 holders.

So if the poop is straight, if anyone still don't have one yet, rounds are 149.87,, round laminated 169.87, hex plain stock 179.87, hex laminated 189.87 for ex condition ones. Chit,,,, STILL cheaper than even the most inexpensive 22's for a ex condition ,respectable shooting, big bore. Hard to beat.

AND,,,,,,,Ammo is even cheaper now for a Mossin than it is for a 22 , isn't it?? That's just not right!!!! What's up with that?

Kinda to bad for all those new gun owners just breaking into this sport that bought all those 10/22's lately, , there sucking hind teet right about now finding ammo most places!! 10/22's should be a dime a dozen soon if this keeps up.